Paolo Canevari - Monuments of the Memory

Each etching was printed at the renowned printing studio Harlan & Weaver (most known for being the trusted printers of Louise Bourgeois and Kiki Smith.)

Monuments of the Memory consists of a new series commissioned by Le Livre Art Publishing of 20 monotype etchings by Italian artist Paolo Canevari.The series presents a departure from Canevari’s previous works, instead turning towards the abstract as a response to what he refers to as «visual pollution» created by an excess of information. It comes from the artist’s desire to detach from an overpowering iconography in order to find one’s own voice. The works thus bring art back to its spiritual essence, to the elevation of thought as a work in and of itself. Through this approach, the viewer is asked to adopt a position of stillness, and to look at notions such as reverence, wholeness and emptiness, sacred, and cultural inheritance.

The twenty works present dramatic juxtapositions of varying jet-black geometric forms against a white background, creating an absence of distraction and referencing ancient religious symbolism. Described in an interview by Shirin Neshat with Canevari as “...directly conceptualizing the idea of void -absence- as if you are forcing your viewer to conjure what is missing” the works serve as a depiction of the power of imagination. His most minimalist works to date, the images are inspired by the relationship between the meditative and creative acts.